Ramos unhappy after City loss

Tottenham head coach Juande Ramos accused his players of taking their foot off the gas after seeing a struggling Manchester City side come from behind to win 2-1 at Eastlands.

PUBLISHED: PUBLISHED: 08:16, Mon, Mar 17, 2008

Juande Ramos

Robbie Keane gave Spurs a half-time advantage, but a rejuvenated City fought back and equalised through Stephen Ireland just before the hour and Nedum Onuoha's first goal for the club - a header from Elano's 72nd-minute corner - turned the match on its head.

"We were so much in control of the game it maybe made our lads think that maybe the game was won before it was over," said Ramos.

He added: "We were finding everything quite easy up to that point. I think the equaliser had two benefits: it picked them up and maybe then we struggled to keep control of the ball from that moment. The second goal was definitive because it decided the game and it was difficult to pick things up after that."

Keane was somewhat controversially replaced by Darren Bent in the 66th minute and it provoked a petulant response.

The Republic of Ireland international hurled his tracksuit top to the floor as he sat down on the bench and although Ramos said he did not see the incident he stressed players had to accept it was a squad game.

"I think it is normal. Players want to play and they are disappointed when they are replaced," he added. "It is football. We have got a squad and we have people on the bench and we have to share out the minutes between the people available."

City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson was relieved his side had got back to winning ways after waiting since February 10 - the Manchester derby - for a victory.

"It was extremely important for us, we had had three games with no goals and three games with one point," said Eriksson. I don't think we played badly in the first half but we should have been more lively and shown less respect.

"I think we did it in the second half and scored two goals. I think if you look at the game we deserved to win it."